Chapter 5
***MALCOLM***
Malcolm was acutely aware of Rose sitting next to him all through dinner.
Everything about her sparked an interest in him, the way she smelled, the sound of her voice as she talked, the accidental touch of their hands, even the way she chewed her food.
By the time the meal was over, his head was spinning, and the dragon inside him was wide awake and sending little jolts of magic into his system, making him think things about her that he’d never thought about any woman.
The last thing he wanted or needed right now was a relationship, he reminded himself, pushing his plate away.
He had enough in his life to deal with already, trying to balance a relationship as well would be a disaster.
He had dreams and goals, a timeline he was following, and there was no place for anyone else in his life right now.
His new property was the love of his life; there was no room for a woman.
Feeling better after the little talk with himself, he turned to find Rose deep in conversation with Aaron.
She had her back turned to him, and she was leaning into his friend as they talked.
A blast of what he could only describe as jealousy flared to life and grew until it was pulsing through him, making him want to strike out at Aaron and pull Rose away from him.
Shocked by the intensity, he struggled to get his emotions under control, afraid he was going to embarrass himself.
Before he could act on his feelings, Hattie came to his rescue.
“It looks like everyone is done. I have an announcement before I bring out dessert,” she said, making everyone fall silent.
“I’ve been offered the opportunity to supply all the desserts for the Winter Ball and all the holiday festivities at the college.
I haven’t said yes yet because I wanted to talk to you all first. If I take the job, it would mean I wouldn’t be around as much for you boys; you’d have to do more around here for yourselves. ”
“Hattie, that’s wonderful news,” Jackson said, a smile on his face. “Of course you should take it, we’ll be fine. Won’t we, boys?”
“I’ll start on another chore chart tonight,” Ryan said. “We’ll just rotate in your nights to cook, that should free you up some.”
“And we can all take turns doing the shopping,” Gabe said. “I used to work in our local grocery store in high school, I’ll take the lead on that one.”
“We can all start doing our own laundry,” he said. “We’ll split the days of the week and leave the weekend open for emergencies.”
Hattie looked around the table at all of them. “Thank you, boys,” she said, tearing up a little. “I don’t know what to say…you’re all such fine young men…I’m lucky to have been able to spend the time I have with you.”
“No, we’re the lucky ones,” Taylor said. “You’ve taken good care of us for almost four years, you’ve taught us how to take care of ourselves. Now we’re going to use that knowledge to give you the break you deserve.”
They all chimed and agreed with Taylor, then Abby got to her feet. “I’ll go get dessert while you all work out the rest of the details,” she said. “It sounds like we’re celebrating Hattie’s new business venture.”
Emily jumped to her feet. “I’ll get the coffee,” she said, starting to clear the table. “We’ll just get these out of the way first.”
Rose didn’t miss a beat and was on her feet a second later. “I’d love to help too,” she said, beginning to stack dishes as well. “It was a wonderful meal, I haven’t eaten that well in a long time.”
When she followed the other two women across the room to the sink, Aaron leaned over her empty chair with a dreamy look on his face.
“I’m going to invite her to the Winter Ball,” he said, then looked at Rose across the room.
“She’s beautiful and smart, she’ll look amazing in a formal gown, and we’ll be the most stunning couple there. Everyone will be jealous of me.”
The jealousy that had faded to the background for a brief minute when Rose walked away was back, but even more intense than before, and it took all his control not to drag his friend out of his chair and punch him.
Shocked again at the intensity of his feelings, he sucked in several gulps of air and stared at Aaron until the rage and jealousy became manageable.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” he said, trying to keep his voice light. “Rose isn’t a showpiece you can take out just to impress people, she’s a person.”
“I know that,” Aaron waved his hand in the air. “I was just…well…come on, she’s hot, Malcolm, there’s no way you missed that.”
The jealousy flared again, this time making the dragon inside him stir to life, releasing a little burst of magic that sparked between them, and Aaron’s eyes widened.
“Oh, man, you should have said something, I didn’t know that she was the one,” he said, then a smile spread across his face.
“I was wondering which one of us was going to be next.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rose isn’t the one, and I’m not next,” he said, refusing to even think about what Aaron was suggesting. “We’re just friends, that’s all, I just don’t want to see her get hurt.”
“It’s just a dance, I’m not asking her to marry me,” Aaron said, getting a little defensive. “If you’re not going to ask her, then I am. So, what’s the deal?”
He looked across the room where Rose was laughing with Abby and Emily, and a stab of desire shot through him, making his entire body fill with warmth. “I’m going to ask her, so back off,” he said before he changed his mind. “But I’m not next, so don’t even go there.”
“Whatever you say,” Aaron said, shaking his head, a little smile on his face. “But if I’m right, you have to make me your best man when you get married.”
***Rose***
Rose let Malcolm help her put her jacket on, then followed him out the door when he opened it to the chill of the winter evening.
“Thank you for inviting me tonight. I had a good time,” she said, falling into step next to him.
“Hattie is a wonderful cook; if that chocolate cake is any indication of what she’s capable of, you all are lucky to have her making the desserts for your ball. ”
“We’ve been spoiled for the last few years having her take care of us, but we’re all graduating this year, and she’ll have to look for a new job,” he said.
“She’s always wanted to open a catering business.
This might just be her chance to see that dream come true; we’re all more than happy to help her. ”
“That’s sweet,” Rose said, then looked up at him, her cheeks a little pink. “You’re a good guy, Malcolm. I’m not used to people like you.”
He looked a little confused, and she realized that she’d said too much, but they’d reached her car, and she quickly got out her keys. “This is me,” she said, heading around the car. “Thanks again for dinner, I had a good time.”
“Rose, wait, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Malcolm said, following her. “Actually, I guess I wanted to ask you something.”
She paused, key in the lock, and turned to face him, heart pounding, a little thrill of anticipation racing through her.
“The thing is, if Hattie is going to be doing the desserts for the dance, she’ll expect us all to go, you know, to support her and everything,” he said, then paused.
“Well, anyway, I don’t usually go to these things, there’s so much expectation, you know what I mean, but I thought…
well…maybe if we went together…you know, just as friends… then everyone would be happy.”
It wasn’t the invitation that she’d hoped for, then remembered why she was there and pushed the disappointment away. “I’d love to go with you if it would make Hattie happy,” she said, smiling at him. “I don’t exactly have a bunch of other social engagements on my calendar.”
Malcolm laughed. “I guess that’s a fancy way of saying you don’t have any plans,” he said, a look of relief on his face. “I hope two weeks will be enough time for you to find a dress. You don’t have to go all out. I know that kind of stuff is expensive.”
“I’m sure I have something I can wear,” she said, already mentally shuffling through her closet. “And I haven’t had a new dress in a long time, maybe now is the time to splurge.”
“Just don’t break the bank for me,” Malcolm said. “I’m sure you’ll look beautiful in anything you wear.”
As soon as the words died in the air between them, her cheeks turned pink, and a look of surprise appeared on Malcolm’s face. “I mean…you always do…friends notice these things…we’re just friends…” he stammered. “I just don’t want to give you the wrong idea, it just popped out of my mouth.”
“Relax, it’s fine, I appreciate the compliment,” she said, shaking her head. “Just relax, Malcolm, we’re just friends, you’ve made that more than clear, and I’m not looking for more than that, I promise.”
There was a brief look of disappointment on his face, but he covered it up quickly.
“Right, so we’re good,” he said, then let out a long sigh.
“This is why I don’t usually go to these things, it’s so hard to navigate the taking a date thing, they always think it’s going to turn into more, no matter how many times I tell them it won’t. ”
“You’re safe with me,” she said, then finished unlocking her car. “It’s getting late, I’d better go, I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“Uhhh…training videos, don’t remind me,” he said. “I only have about a million to go.”
“I’ll trade you anytime, your movies for my invoices,” she said. “It’s going to take all week to sort it all out and that doesn’t include getting them all into the computer.”
“Fine, you win,” he said, holding his hands up. “Your job is way worse.”
“Thank you,” she said, grinning at him.
Driving home, she decided the night had been a success, she’d gotten close to Malcolm, even managed to get him to invite her to the dance.
Her stepfather was going to be thrilled.
If she felt a pang of guilt thinking about what she was doing, she pushed it away.
She wasn’t hurting anyone, hadn’t really done anything wrong yet, and she had nothing to feel guilty about.
Besides, her sister needed her, she couldn’t let her stepfather push her out into the street, and she couldn’t be completely sure that he wouldn’t follow through with his threats.
As if he knew that she was thinking about him, her phone sang out the ringtone she’d chosen for Chet, and she winced, wishing she could ignore the call, but connected on the last ring, knowing it would be a big mistake if she didn’t.
Bracing herself for the barrage of insults and criticisms Chet would inevitably spew at her, she answered with a cherry greeting like life was perfect just because she knew that it would annoy him.
“You’d better have good news for me,” he spat into the phone. “I’m not paying your rent for you to mess around.”
“I just had dinner at the frat house,” she said, shutting him down. “And he invited me to the Winter Ball, so you can chill out, I’m doing exactly what you asked.”
There was a brief silence. “You’d better not be lying to me,” he said. “I find it hard to believe you moved that fast, you’re not exactly…the kind of girl to attract men.”
“Wow, thanks for that,” she said, then sighed. “I’m not lying. We had dinner, we’re going to the dance, so get off my case.”
“You could still screw this up, so don’t get all snappy with me, little lady,” Chet snarled at her. “I hope I don’t have to remind you what’s at stake. Chloe is going to be very shocked when she’s sleeping on the street. I would hate for it to come to that, though.”
“I don’t know what more you want from me,” she said. “I’m doing the best I can.”
“Do better,” Chet ordered, then the line went dead.